Saturday, September 25, 2010

The Illusion of Romantic Love

The art presentation supplies I bought arrived and I spent yesterday morning seeing how they would work. I already bought mats for the 5"x7" studies, so I bought some backing and some poly sleeves. I attached the painting to the backing to fit the mat, attached the mat, and then inserted them into a poly bag that reseals. The matted painting is a nice tight fit into the poly bag and the backing keeps it good and flat. I am not the greatest craftsman, too inpatient, and I had issues with persistent cat hair that kept getting inside the poly bag, but the paintings show nicely (minus cat hair) and I was really happy with the result. This means I can display the studies without frames, at least for now.

I started a larger landscape and really disliked how it was coming out on Thursday night. Friday morning it looked better and I spent a few hours painting. I went out for a while and met Mary Kay for coffee and then came home and changed out all of the florescent light bulbs.

Idaho Health and Welfare did not call about the job and Mary Kay said to call them on Monday. Accountability is tough, now I'm going to hear Mary Kay telling me to call all day on Monday until I make the call. I checked out other jobs in Boise and there are more I can apply for with the State and several at Hewlett Packard, so I will go back to applying for jobs again, but not until tomorrow. Now that we have job applications via Internet, it can be so time consuming.

The best next person for me to see with SCORE is not available until October, so they will call me to set up the next appointment on Friday. Friday is the 1st of October already, wow.

The next enlightenment topic is Romantic Love with part of a sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning from Sonnets from the Portuguese,

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

This is a lovely poem written about Elizabeth Browning's love for her husband. With this topic, maybe the author is trying to distinguish between love of a partner versus love of family and friends, but I heartily disagree that mastering romantic love is necessary for enlightenment. To me, holding on to the ideas of romantic love is destructive to relationships. When the excitement and the flowers and the candy wear off, you better be looking at a good best friend, or you will not have a relationship, or love. I would rather have someone who really knows me and still loves me. Besides, has anyone ever given or received a satisfactory answer to, why do you love me? It's like trying to explain faith or spirituality. I think letting go of the illusion of romantic love is more likely what is necessary for enlightenment.

This morning I am off to a workshop. Thank goodness the topic is service, not romantic love.

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